Monday, March 23, 2009

We have wine again!! The 2008 vintage is here, at last. We have just released our flagship wine Dodging Tornados which we think even the governor would like. And for the first time ever, we have a very limited bottling of our own varietal specific 2008 Norton. It is a very special wine with lots of fruit and a touch of oak. The long cool 2008 summer allowed for development of wonderful aromatics which make our first Norton something worthy of cellaring or just drinking right now as well. Note the special bottle, too. Very handsome. Also, in the lineup you will note our very pink Rose' which shows off its color in the clear bottle. It also shows off nicely on the palate with a spring freshness that we long for especially this time of year. Last, but not least in the picture is the 2008 Seyval, which will make those of you with a sweet tooth very happy.

We are getting ready for a very busy planting on April 4 with another 750 plants going into the vineyard. We are adding more Chambourcin, Norton and Vignoles. We also have an experimental row going in for Noiret which is a new hybrid developed at Cornell University known for its cabernet flavors and Norton hardiness.

We still have lots of wine in the cellar yet to be bottled and will offer a Cabernet Franc, new Barrel Reserve White and Red, and a semi-sweet version of our Dodging Tornados. As mentioned, the 2008 vintage was really spectacular and the wines are very exciting.

There is just so much left to be done. There are still almost 10 rows of unpruned vines in the vineyard, the sign to go in at the end of Grace Hill Road is not up yet, our advertising campaign on KMUW has not yet started, and we have not found anyone to run the tasting room on Saturdays to start in late April. If you know anybody interested in Saturday work from 11-5 who is over 21, not a felon, friendly and loves wine, have them call us at 316-799-2511.